1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stackable, portable container for storing and transporting semisolid and fluid materials and comprising a tank secured to a pallet base, the tank having a drain and an optionally removable top having at least one removable section for creating an opening in the top.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many industries are involved in the manufacture of liquid or semisolid products such as chemicals, solvents or the like (hereinafter "fluids"). Once produced, the need often arises for large quantities of these fluids to be transported from their place of manufacture to another manufacturing facility or directly to a consumer. In preparing to transport the fluid, it is common to transfer the fluid from a stationary manufacturing "vat" or the like into a smaller, portable container such as a drum, keg or barrel. These containers are then loaded onto the shipping vehicle and transported to their destination.
During transportation, the motion of the shipping vehicle can cause the containers to shift and become damaged thereby spilling the fluid or causing a safety hazard. Also, containers which are strewn about the vehicle during shipping are difficult to unload.
Once the portable containers are received at the destination, the fluid is either removed from the containers and used by the consumer or stored for future use. In many cases, the emptied containers will simply be discarded thus resulting in much waste. In addition, transferring the fluid from these portable containers into mixing vats or other similar apparatus is time consuming, requires additional manpower, and is often awkward and messy. Furthermore, many manufacturing facilities do not have adequate storage space and are forced to stack the containers, either empty or full, on top of one another thus posing a potential hazard if the containers are not stacked properly.